Underpinning
Fry Site Services is a family-run underpinning contractor based in Gravesend, working across Kent as part of the Fry Group. If a building has started to crack, or doors catch and floors run away from level, the ground under the foundation has usually moved. We underpin homes, commercial premises and industrial buildings, using mass concrete, mini piling or resin injection. We always work out why the movement is happening first, because the cause decides the repair.
Underpinning Contractors in Kent
Underpinning is the last step, not the first. Buildings move for all sorts of reasons. Clay shrinks back in a dry summer. Tree roots draw moisture out of the ground. A leaking drain washes fines out from under a footing. Made ground consolidates. Sometimes a foundation was never deep enough to start with.
One or two of those do not need underpinning at all. Putting piles under a wall that moved because of a cracked drain fixes nothing and costs a great deal. So we start with an inspection.
We look at the crack pattern, the direction and width of the movement, the age and construction of the building, what is growing nearby and where the drains run. Sometimes the answer is to monitor the cracks over a few months. Sometimes it is a drain survey, or a structural engineer’s report before anyone specifies a repair.
As underpinning contractor we deal with insurers regularly, and if you are making a claim that evidence is what the insurer and their engineer will want to see. The RICS consumer guide to subsidence is a sensible place to start if this is all new to you.
Mass Concrete, Mini Piling and Resin Injection
Mass concrete underpinning is the traditional method, and still the right answer for a lot of domestic work. We excavate short sections beneath the existing footing in a planned sequence, never undermining more than a small length at a time, and fill each one before moving on. It is labour-intensive and it needs room to work. It is also well understood.
Mini piling suits sites where access is tight, or where the ground stays weak below the depth mass concrete can reach. We bore or drive small-diameter piles with our own rigs, then tie them together with needle beams or pile caps so the load transfers to a deeper stratum. It generates less spoil, and it can be done from inside a property.
Resin injection is the least invasive of the three. Expanding structural resin goes into the soil beneath the foundation, filling voids and compacting weak ground in place. It suits shallow settlement in granular or made ground, needs no excavation, and a house can usually stay occupied throughout. It is not a substitute for underpinning where a foundation has to go deeper, and we will say so when that is the case.
Whichever method fits, we work in controlled stages so the building stays supported throughout, to HSE guidance and CDM 2015 duties, with spoil removed through our sister waste company. If you are putting up something new rather than repairing something existing, new foundations are the service you want. We cover the Medway towns, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, Gravesend and Dartford.
We Are Accredited
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Signs a Building Needs Underpinning?
Diagonal cracks that are wider at one end, often starting at a window or door opening. Doors and windows that have begun to bind. Floors that slope. Gaps opening where walls meet ceilings or skirtings. Cracking that keeps changing over weeks and months is the part worth taking seriously. An inspection is the only reliable way to tell whether the movement is ongoing, and the RICS guide to subsidence explains what surveyors look for.
Does Every Crack Mean Subsidence?
No, and it is worth saying that clearly. Plenty of cracking comes down to normal settlement in a newer building, thermal movement, shrinking plaster, or a lintel that is not doing its job. Subsidence has a signature. It runs diagonally, it is wider at one end, and it carries on moving. We would rather tell you a crack is not structural than sell you a scheme you do not need.
Which Underpinning Method Will My Building Need?
It depends on what caused the movement, how deep the stable ground sits, how the building is built and how much room there is around it. Mass concrete works well for domestic walls where there is space to excavate. Mini piling suits restricted access, or ground that stays weak well below footing level. Resin injection suits shallow settlement where excavation would be too disruptive. We recommend a method after the inspection.
Can We Stay in the Property While the Work Is Done?
Usually, yes. Underpinning is carried out in short, controlled sections so the building stays supported throughout, and resin injection needs no excavation at all. Mass concrete work is noisier and involves excavating around the outside of the wall, so there is real disruption, and we will tell you what to expect before we start. On commercial premises we can phase the work around trading hours. Where a building has to be vacated, that is the structural engineer’s call rather than ours.
Other Services
Why Choose Fry Site Services
Deconstruction, groundworks, and waste management in one seamless process.
Cut costs and streamline your process with a single, dependable provider.
We’ll oversee the planning, logistics, and execution, so you don’t have to lift a finger.
With our skilled operators and expert management, every project stays on track.
Waste management through our sister company ensures eco-friendly practices and reduced costs.
We combine expertise, education and dedication for results you can rely on.